Made with fresh tomatoes, basil and cashews, this creamy vegan pasta is simple enough for a weeknight, but decadent enough for a date night in! It’s deliciously dairy free and so easy to make.
They say you are what you eat, so I’m pretty sure at this point I’m about 90% pasta. I’ve been obsessed with pasta since I was a wee one, but this creamy tomato basil pasta sauce really blows all of the other pasta out of the water.
It’s somewhat similar to my vegan vodka sauce, but we’ll be roasting fresh tomatoes and onion to bring out tons of delicious flavor. It’s a classic recipe with a dairy free twist.
It’s rich (but not overwhelming), creamy, incredibly easy to make and it stores well in the fridge so it’s perfect for meal prep!
Key ingredients
For this creamy vegan pasta sauce, we will be using three (yes, three!) forms of tomato. Whole tomatoes which will be roasted, tomato sauce and tomato paste. That might seem like an excessive amount of tomato, but I promise it yields such a good flavor.
These ingredients combine to give the best flavor, and you’d have no idea it’s entirely dairy free! For this recipe you will need:
Fresh tomatoes: Roasted to perfection for SO much flavor. I used medium sized red tomatoes.
Tomato sauce: Unflavored plain tomato sauce from a can.
Tomato paste: This adds a lot of depth of flavor and enhances the overall tomato-ness (not a word, forgive me) of the sauce.
Cashews: The cashews will make the sauce super creamy without needing to use any dairy. For a nut free option try this tomato tofu pasta instead!
Basil: For flavor and a little garnish on top!
Olive oil: Half will be for roasting and half will be to blend the sauce and make it creamy.
Yellow onion and garlic: To roast with the tomatoes for tons of flavor.
Salt & pepper: As much or as little as you want!
Instructions
This recipe may seem scary and intimidating because it has a lot of steps, but just like my instant pot pasta, it’s really easy, I promise!
Essentially, all you need to do is roast the garlic, onions, and tomatoes to bring out lots of flavor and juices. I like to add some olive oil and black pepper before they go in the oven to get a deep flavor. You will need to peel the tomatoes to prevent a grainy texture to the sauce.
Next, you’ll add the roasted veggies, cashews and all remaining ingredients to a blender and process until completely smooth. About 1 full minute will make sure there are no chunks to the sauce.
Feel free to taste and adjust any seasonings as desired before you pour the sauce over your cooked pasta. I like using brown rice pasta to keep this gluten free, but any type of pasta will do.
Do you have to peel the tomatoes?
While you don’t have to remove the skins from tomatoes to make a good sauce, I do recommend it for this recipe, especially if you’re not using a high speed blender. The skins can make the texture a bit rougher, so for the creamiest and smoothest sauce, I do recommend peeling the skins off.
The best way to remove the skins is to first roast them and let them cool for about 5 minutes. You just want to make sure they’re cool enough to handle so you won’t burn your hand.
The release a lot of juice while they roast, so they get a bit slippery, but essentially what I like to do is pinch the skin side of the tomato and hold it over the blender and allow the inside to just fall right in. Set the skins aside and discard them.
Frequently asked questions
Does it keep? Once prepared, this creamy vegan pasta will store in the fridge for 5 days. To reheat it, I suggest adding to a pan on the stove with a splash of water, broth, or almond milk to make sure it gets nice and creamy again.
Do I need to soak the cashews? If you do not have a high speed blender, you will want to soak the cashews for as long as possible to make sure they blend thoroughly. 30 minutes in hot water is ideal for a high speed blender, but overnight is best with a regular blender.
Can I use a different onion? Yellow onion will yield the best flavor, but white or red onion will also work. Red onion will have a stronger flavor, but will still be delicious!
Can I make it nut free? You can sub the cashews for about 1/4 cup of tahini or use coconut cream, but for best results, I suggest sticking to the recipe as written!
Looking for more? Try these
- Roasted Red Pepper Penne
- Mushroom Broccoli Rigatoni
- Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- White Bean Pasta Sauce
- Spicy Red Pepper Vodka Sauce
- Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
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Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 pound gluten free pasta of choice or sub regular pasta
- 1 large yellow onion about 1 1/4 cups chopped
- 5 medium tomatoes about 750 grams
- ½ cup tomato sauce plain, from a can
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ heaping cup raw cashews
- ½ cup basil divided
- 6 large cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil divided into 2 x 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Optional: 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes for spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water.
- Peel and chop the onion into large chunks, peel the garlic, and cut the tomatoes in half and then half again and add to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil and a few twists of fresh black pepper and toss to make sure everything is well coated.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- During the final 10 minutes, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Let cool for a few minutes until the tomatoes are easy enough to handle. Carefully remove the skins of the tomatoes. They will be hot, but the skins should peel off very easily. I like to hold the tomatoes right over the blender and pinch the back of the skins so the inside falls right inside.
- Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add to a blender.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic to a blender and be sure to get all the juices in there.
- Add all remaining ingredients but only 1/4 cup worth of basil to a high speed blender and process until completely smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir until well coated.
- Add in the remaining chopped basil and mix through. Garnish with fresh pepper, red pepper flakes and extra basil if desired and enjoy!
Erin says
Delicious! I was so excited to use my new Vitamix. This blended so nice and creamy and really coats the pasta nicely. It made enough to freeze a batch!
Claire Cary says
Perfect, thanks Erin!
Nicole says
The recipe card ingredient list says “diced” onion, but the video shows chopped onion and the recipe instructions say “chopped” onion. To clarify, I’m assuming the recipe card ingredients list should say “chopped” onion, not “diced” onion? I started dicing all my onion and then I figured something wasn’t right because I don’t think the diced onion would turn out well at 400° in the oven with the tomatoes. Is the ingredient list supposed to say “chopped” onion?
Claire Cary says
It doesn’t really matter since it all gets blended anyway! I’ll clarify it to chopped since that makes more sense with the roasting.
Stephanie impostato says
My sauce was a little gritty? Not sure why, I followed the instructions and soaked the cashews but for some reason it wasn’t blending to a smooth texture.
Claire Cary says
Sorry to hear that! What kind of blender do you have?
Lori says
This is a staple in my house.. I always double this recipe and freeze the rest and it’s just as good as the day I made it.. Everyone loves it in my house. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🇨🇦
Dana says
How much raw cashew do you add? I just see “1/2 heaping raw cashews”
Claire Cary says
It says heaping cup!
Chloe says
So delish! Didn’t need all the sauce for the pound of pasta but perfect flavor and texture! Would definitely make again.
Morgan says
This looks wonderful! Just wondering if you have any tips on how to make this low fodmap (ibs friendly)? There’s a loooot of garlic and onion in the sauce, do you think cutting them out would drastically affect the taste? I have a garlic infused oil that is safe for me to eat, but I’m not sure how it would affect the texture!
Claire Cary says
You can definitely try using less garlic and onion, but it is key for the flavor. I would definitely recommend subbing for a garlic oil, or adding in some additional fodmap friendly herbs/spices to make up for the flavor.
Adrian says
Just wanted to ask, is tomato sauce the same as ketchup or passata?
Claire Cary says
No, those are different! You want just tomato sauce with the only ingredients as tomatoes.
Liza says
Just finished making this sauce and… wow.. probably the best sauce I’ve had and DEFINITELY the best sauce I’ve ever made!
Claire Cary says
Aww thank you Liza! SO happy to hear that!
Alma Grewal says
Hi! I’ve never used raw cashews. How long should they soak. Thanks!
Claire Cary says
The fastest way is to just boil them for about 20 minutes to help them soften!
Michelle says
Can you use cashew milk instead of cashews and if so how much?
Claire Cary says
I don’t recommend it! Cashew milk is very watered down and won’t give the same creamy consistency as whole cashews.
deanne says
Can I use basil paste instead of fresh if so how muchd
Claire Cary says
I have never worked with basil paste before so I can’t really say how Much you would need. I highly recommend fresh basil for this recipe!
SaNyiag says
this was way easier to make than i thought! it’s absolutely delicious i’ll be making this again next week.
Claire Cary says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Kiki says
Could you freeze leftovers??
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tried this, but I think that would be ok!
cho says
hi,
what other vegan options can be used instead of cashew to make it creamy?
Claire Cary says
It’s hard to make this recipe without cashews, but you can try subbing for coconut cream or tahini, though that will change the flavor slightly. Let me know how it turns out!
Claire Cary says
You can also try pine nuts, macademia nuts, or silken tofu. Cashews are my preferred choice, but let me know what you try!
Jen says
How much onion? I see this in the instructions but not the ingredient list.
Claire Cary says
Hey Jen, sorry about that! You will need 1 large yellow onion (about 1 1/4 cups chopped)
Aoife says
Yum! Any nut free substitute?
Claire Cary says
I haven’t tried any, but you can try coconut cream or tahini, though that will alter the flavor slightly!
Sarah | Well and Full says
I’m probably about 90% pasta too!! 😉 This sauce looks so creamy and delicious!!
Claire Cary says
Hahaha I can’t get enough! Thanks Sarah 🙂
Marisol says
Looks so delicious! On the weekend menu
Claire Cary says
Yay! Be sure to let me know how you like it 🙂
jess @choosingchia says
This looks amazing Claire! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Claire Cary says
Thanks Jess! Hope you love it 🙂